This invention relates to a gas-fired cooking apparatus, and, more particularly, to a gas-fired cooking apparatus such as a barbecue, a smoker, or a combination barbecue and smoker.
Barbecue grills and smokers conventionally include a cooking container for holding the briquettes or cooking rock and the meat. Gas-fired barbecues and smokers include a burner assembly which is mounted in the cooking container below the rock for heating the rock. Meat juices which drip on the rock create the smoke which give the meat the barbecued flavor.
Certain design considerations are involved in barbecues and smokers. For example, the cooking container will become quite hot during cooking, and it is desirable to protect the supporting surface from this heat. Gas-fired cookers require means for providing a good supply of secondary combustion air to the burner assembly. It is desirable to provide means for collecting meat drippings, and it is advantageous if the cooker can be easily disassembled for cleaning and storage.
The invention accomplishes the foregoing objections in a unique and simple manner. The cooking container is supported above the cooking surface by a support collar and a support base, and these parts and held together by a stud and a pair of spring plates. Both the cooking container and the base are provided with a central air opening for secondary combustion air, and the spring plates engage the cooking container and base around the air openings. The gas burner is mounted above the spring plate and the cooking container, and the stud extends through the burner assembly and the two spring plates and draws the spring plates together. The spring plates cover the air openings in the cooking control and shield the support surface from the radiant heat of the gas burner. The spring plates are formed to provide air passages for permitting secondary combustion air to flow from the base to the cooking container through the central air openings. Meat drippings can fall through the central openings and can be collected below the spring plates in the base.